Adding harmony to corporate communications

User stories from the knowledge front

A collaborative knowledge management system will provide more cohesion within the various hubs of Universal Music Group. The company has secured thousands of user licenses for a KM software suite from Hyperwave to give employees access to news and information over a corporate intranet.

The intranet will be used primarily to publish and share information among employees, enabling them to view data instantly, thereby speeding daily business processes. The system will enable Universal Music International (UMI), a division of Universal Music Group, to provide a portal to other Web applications and intranet sites that have been developed within UMI, creating a gateway to other information. Web designers will develop a customized user interface with specialized templates for information such as calendars and discussion forums.

According to Lisa Bond, VP of Communications at UMI, “The software will help us build on our overall group structure by allowing us to communicate and share knowledge with colleagues at a global level. Initially 50 people at UMI will be contributing to the intranet content, but there is now vast potential for users with write-privileges as the system develops.”

Unlike a previous attempt to install a groupwide intranet, Bond says, “The Hyperwave product has broken barriers and has gained the confidence of our staff by providing a secure and reliable means to share resources that is really easy to use.”

Universal Music International approached Hyperwave after the Hyperwave Information Server was successfully deployed at its Hamburg, Germany, offices. The intranet initiative is being led by the head office of UMI, based in the United Kingdom, where the Hyperwave Information Server has also been installed. The Hyperwave Information Portal will be implemented later this year.

Universal Music Group’s global operations include the development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of recorded music through a network of subsidiaries, joint ventures and licensees in 63 countries. With more than 12,000 employees worldwide, UMG represents such artists as Elton John, Texas and Limp Bizkit